Easter preparations in Poland start on Ash Wednesday, when catkins or "bazie" are cut and put into a vase with water.  When their buds open in a few days, this is a good sign that there will be fair and mild spring.

These willow twigs are used on Palm Sunday as "palms" to be blessed in the church. Then they are taken home and put by the holy picture of the Blessed Mother, and remain there until the next year.

During the Holy Week until the Holy Saturday, the Poles are engaged in traditional Easter activities.

Starting on Palm Sunday, the girls start collecting eggs, which will be used to make "pisanki". In the past they took a small spruce tree and decorated it attractively. Then on Palm Sunday morning, they carried the tree from one house to another. The girls knocked on the windows and sang songs in praise of their spruce tree. Sleepy husbands and wives got up and gave them a gift of eggs.

Polish Easter customs have not changed much during the centuries. To this day, eggs are a very important item at Easter. Eggs are blessed. Eggs are painted in many lovely and interesting patterns, and different sections of Poland have their special designs.

Starting on Good Friday and through Saturday, everyone visits the churches in town to see Christ's grave decorated with flowers. Then the image of the stricken Savior lies in a grotto, guarded night and day by priests and faithful worshippers. The church bells quiet on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, ring on Saturday at midnight in noisy celebration heralding the risen Lord.

On Holy Saturday afternoon, the mother of the family or an older child carries a basket filled with eggs, ham, sausage, pastries and Easter seasonings to be blessed by a priest.

Lent stops on Saturday noon, but fasting is observed until Resurrection Mass. Also on Holy Saturday typically Polish ceremonies are performed in the church yard. It is the blessing of the fire, the reverence which goes back to pagan times.